February 22, 2012 posts

The Texas branch of the League of United Latin American Citizens has stepped up its efforts to get Latinos registered to vote and to have more women in the state running for public office.

According to Linda Chávez, state director of LULAC, in the last few months her organization has carried out a series of workshops and seminars specifically aimed at training women interested in politics.

"We've won a great deal of participation by women and particularly by organizations headed by Latino women who want to get involved in local politics...as a way of helping their respective communities," Chávez said in an interview with Efe.

"At the same time we're trying to boost the Latino vote in general from about 30 percent to 60 percent, and we're specifically targeting people who are registered voters but don't go to the polls," she said.

LULAC has launched a plan of action to help Hispanic women interested in holding public office obtain all the tools they need to run an effective electoral campaign, Chávez said.

The goal, she added, is to prompt women across Texas to run for school boards and city councils, but also to continue with their higher education and become owners of their own companies.

"Our workshops educate candidates about the positions they can seek in the area where they will run, as well as training them in speaking techniques and the best way to collect campaign contributions," she said.

She also said that the rules governing LULAC, a non-partisan organization, bar it from publicly supporting a candidate, but nothing stops candidates from connecting with an organization that can help them.

Chávez also said that LULAC has identified several metropolitan areas in Texas with large numbers of Latino voters - Houston, Dallas, El Paso, San Antonio and McAllen - where it will focus its efforts in the months preceding the elections.

"And in this electoral year it's important to get out the Hispanic vote because everything indicates that during the next legislative session more bills will be introduced that attempt to discredit the state's immigrant community," she said.

Chávez added that her organization supports comprehensive immigration reform and that her priority is education, an area about whose importance really strikes Hispanic women when they start doing community work.

With more than 5,000 members, the Texas branch of LULAC is the organization's largest.

According to Census data, 37.6 percent of the Texas population is of Latin origin, but less than half is registered to vote.

When's the last time you met a Latino who hated grandma's cooking or didn't know who Marc Anthony was?

There are just some things you don't expect to hear from Latinos, according to the creators of "Sh*t Latinos Don't Say," the latest in a long line of online video memes to tackle widely held stereotypes.

Sure, it's yet another take on a trend that's nearly played out, but with a tongue-in-cheek twist. Other versions-- running the gamut from New Yorkers to medical students to things Latinos do say-- worked when they got viewers to acknowledge, "that's so me."

But it turns out the things we're not likely to say also say a lot about us. Like its predecessors, "Sh*t Latinos Don't Say" appropriates shared beliefs, biases and experiences but reverses them, prompting collective responses of disbelief, because who ever met a Latino who complained about spicy food?

Except for riffs on Arizona ("if you could live anywhere in the world") and Gov. Jan Brewer ("my idol") the video's creators said they tried to keep it light and avoid serious topics.

"We wanted to do something that Latinos and non-Latinos would walk away from laughing," said Lance Rios, founder of Being Latino, an online portal for news and opinion aimed at second- or third-generation bilingual Latinos in the United States. "We didn't want to perpetuate negative stereotypes."

So, while the video features several instances of a young woman leading men into her bedroom and assuring them that her father won't mind, there is no mention of teen pregnancy or other themes commonly applied to Latinos in mainstream media, Rios said.

"It's meant to prove that yes, as a community, we have issues," said Rios, a second-generation Puerto Rican who was born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio. "But we're Americans, too, and just because we're tied to other countries doesn't mean we can't make fun of ourselves just like everyone else in a way that's not offensive."

With more than 21,000 YouTube views since last Wednesday and numerous shout-outs on Latino blogs and mainstream media outlets, it's an approach that seems to be gaining traction. Rios hopes its popularity demonstrates the need for more popular culture content relevant to English-speaking Latinos who identify with American culture and the cultural heritage of their families.

"The main thing we wanted to do was create something that would go viral and track back to our site and our audience," he said. "Often, they're ignored by the mainstream media, but this video shows that our audience is alive and well in the social media space and they're looking for content."

Robert Rodriguez, FactoryMade Ventures CEO John Fogelman and Cristina Patwa said they are looking to serve a U.S.-born Latino market they believe is underserved with their El Rey Network. It’s one of four new independent networks Comcast announced today that was selected among more than 100 proposals. As part of the news, the El Rey group announced the formation of Tres Pistoleros, which will develop programming for El Rey, creating content across multiple platforms including reality, scripted and animated series as well as movies, documentaries, music, comedy and sports programming. El Rey will primarily be in English and showcase Hispanic producers, celebrities and public figures. ”What we’re going to offer is not currently out there,” Rodriguez told Deadline. “The majority of the players today are doing a fantastic job serving the first generation [of Latinos in America], and what we want to do is serve their offspring.” The trio said they hope to launch by January 2014.

Taking a cue from Spike TV, Rodriguez and Fogelman said programming will be “male-oriented” but something women will enjoy as well. “We want it to be the gold standard for what Hispanic television will be like with adrenaline,” said Fogelman, whose FactoryMade is a hybrid entertainment, media-business development and consulting firm that helps develop and deliver content across multiple platforms worldwide. ”Think about Robert’s films. They happen to be made for the world’s audience, but happen to have Latinos starring. The flavor will have a lot of that Hispanic culture that we see today.” Rodriguez, whose directing credits include Desperado, From Dusk Till Dawn, Spy Kids and Sin City, helped propel the careers of Salma Hayek, Antonio Banderas, Jessica Alba, Danny Trejo and Michelle Rodriguez. He will continue to direct films but said he will take an active daily role in overseeing El Rey and Tres Pistoleros. “This extends the conversation I have with my staff into this realm,” said Rodriguez, who runs a 25-acre studio facility in Austin. Fogelman added that “well-known executives” will be announced in the next couple months to help run the new ventures.

As I was about to start this column, I opened TweetDeck to look for some inspiration. It was then that I ran into a tweet by @josehuitron about a new piece by @briansolis: "Content and the New Marketing Equation." The article was about a report with the same name released by Rebecca Lieb, analyst at Altimeter Group. It addresses how marketers must evolve from advertisers into storytellers. Instead of interrupting consumers with messages that are about "me" (brand/product), they need to attract, entertain, and inform. Storytellers are sought and revisited…they often enter into a dialogue with the audience, Lieb says.

And the timing couldn't have been better. Me jumping from one screen to another while writing an article is a perfect analogy of how consumers multitask today. Rebecca Lieb says it right: marketers need to rethink the way they deal with this empowered consumer (a consumer on steroids).

The Multi-Screen Phenomenon

Multitasking is a universal phenomenon, but Latinos are taking it to the extreme based on the following data.

More screens available. More than 45 percent of Latinos have a smartphone and 28 percent of Latinos currently own a tablet (versus 34 percent and 24 percent respectively for non-Hispanic whites). Tablet penetration is growing faster. A 190 percent increase in Hispanic tablet users from February 2011 to December 2011; that's almost double the increase for the general population. Multitasking frequently. Digital Hispanics spend 42 percent of their media time multitasking; they are more likely than the general population to combine TV viewing with browsing the web. Mobile shopping. Latinos experienced the greatest growth in shopping on mobile devices (August 2011 versus December 2011). According to comScore, they also make up about 25 percent of mobile shoppers in different aspects: checked product availability, found store locations, compared prices, found coupons or deals, etc.

Multi-Enjoying or Multi-Distracting?

Considering the growing multi-screen experience, creating engagement can be challenging for both consumers and marketers. How can we address this? With common sense: trying to understand media multitasking from a consumer perspective.

Multitasking can be addictive. Forty-seven percent of Latinos are looking at other screens while watching television. Furthermore, young Hispanics spent two hours and 53 minutes watching video, playing games, and listening to music on mobile devices. That's more than twice the time that whites, who spent one hour and 20 minutes doing the same activities, according to a study by Northwestern University. Latinos are struggling with multitasking. Based on observations on qualitative research, consumers have a hard time trying to find a balance. They feel excited about the enhanced experience that another screen offers while watching TV, but also feel stressed and distracted. The need to share now. Social media is replacing the office coffee break. Why wait till tomorrow if I can share on the go? That Latino mentality is aligned with the growth of Hispanic mobile Facebook users: currently almost half of Hispanic Facebook users. Multitasking occurs more at home. According to Google, search peak time by device is different: during the day is mostly via PC, in the morning is mostly via cell, and tablets play a more important role altogether with PC. Additionally, app usage peaks during TV prime time. Also, tablets are mostly used at home, connected to Wi-Fi. The perfect storm: TV and mobile devices.

From Media Planning to Media Storytelling

The multi-screen experience is putting Latinos on steroids. Is your brand taking advantage of this?

We are all part of this phenomenon (like my personal story at the beginning of this column). Yet, it's surprising to see how many marketers and advertising agencies continue to approach consumers the usual way. They continue to plan media like in the old days. Yes, they might add mobile or social media to the plan, but they still aren't shifting from advertisers into storytellers.

Here are some thought-starters:

Start with the consumer. Understand how the consumers are behaving and build a plan that is consumer focused, not media focused. Don't plan media; plan for an experience. What is your brand trying to tell? What is its story? How do you want to involve the consumer? What's the overall experience you want to create? Plan for a whole experience. Optimizing your web for mobile is not enough. Content and experiences should be part of a whole. Your TV spots and mobile devices should collaborate to create a single scene. Think real-time interaction. Your social media strategy should play a key role. How can you leverage what consumers are experiencing on TV and offer a space to enhance that experience with people with the same interests or passions? TV shows are getting better and better at this; brands still have a lot to learn. Integrate content and media. It should be a seamless experience. Separation between creative and media agencies isn't helping. Fortunately, in the Hispanic market, many agencies manage both sides of this storytelling. We have a great opportunity to create successful case studies that can feed industry best practices. Search should play a key role. Search sparks curiosity: 78 percent of Latinos have used search engines to find more information on a show they were watching on their TV. Simplify. Consumers are overwhelmed by this multitasking experience. Make it simple; they will thank you for that.

There are more thought-starters I would like to share, but sorry…I need to get back to tweeting. The TV show I'm watching while writing this column has increased my desire to multitask.

The Pew Hispanic Center, a project of the Pew Research Center, today released updated statistical profiles of the Latino and foreign-born populations in the U.S. These profiles, based on the Center's tabulations from the Census Bureau's 2010 American Community Survey, feature detailed characteristics of the Latino and foreign-born populations at the national level. Topics covered include age, geographic dispersion, nativity, citizenship, origin, language proficiency, racial self-identification, living arrangements, marital status, fertility, schooling, health insurance coverage, earnings, poverty and other labor market outcomes. The data featured in the profiles may also be downloaded from the Center's website.

Two local celebrities have joined forces to help raise awareness and encourage blood donation in the Hispanic community.

Recently appointed as a trustee of the Florida State Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, television personality and writer Gretta Vitta has joined forces with local hero and Jefferson Award Winner Scott Van Duzer of the Van Duzer Foundation.

On March 11, from noon to 4 p.m., Vitta and Van Duzer, along with Florida's Blood Centers and Gold's Gym at 250 N.W. Peacock Boulevard in St. Lucie West will host "What's Your Type? Health and Fitness Family Fun Blood Drive."

The event is the first Treasure Coast Hispanic Blood Drive. There will be live performances by local artists, celebrity blood donors and guests, Spanish food by Pueblo Viejo and bounce houses for the kids.

Blood donors who come out for the event will receive a free T-shirt, and a choice between a free, 30-day membership to Gold's Gym or a movie ticket. There also will be free salsa classes, giveaways and prizes, and performances.

At the event will be: the Boys and Girls' Clubs of St. Lucie, Periko and Tairon Aguilera, Nicole Rodriguez of Scripps Newspapers, Karen Feliz of Mega Channel 57, Mariana London of Mariana London Designs, Lia Escobar of Mia 92.1, Josh Cohen of 94.3 Real Radio, and San Juan Fest founder Roberto Roldan.

College is the logical next step after high school for some local students, but some Latino students in the Arcola, Ill. area, require a little more convincing.

Seven middle and high school students from Arcola visited campus Monday afternoon to learn more about the University and the possibilities of pursuing higher education. The Lambda Upsilon Lambda fraternity, more commonly known as La Unidad Latina, worked together with the Arcola-based Mi Raza Community Center to organize a day for students to experience both academic and social aspects of college life. The day included campus tours, visiting lectures and a panel discussion with current University students.

“The goal is to spark an interest in … some form of higher education,” said Arturo Romo, community service chair for La Unidad Latina.

The fraternity’s “college immersion workshop” was the University chapter’s local version of the nationwide service, said Romo, sophomore in FAA. La Unidad Latina’s service day, “Doing It for the Kids Since 1982,” recognizes the year it first began assisting students in preparing and transitioning to college life.

“Traditionally our focus has been on kids in the inner city,” Romo said.

He said the fraternity usually travels to Chicago for this service. After hearing about Mi Raza’s work with Arcola’s “Project YOU,” a youth development program, the fraternity realized that rural children need just as much help as their urban counterparts.

Mi Raza, including director Tim Flavin, is involved with various forms of Hispanic and Latino outreach. Its “College is Possible” program helps students research scholarships, majors and universities and then assists them with their applications and essays. The program began in June 2010.

Flavin said the students he works with historically do not pursue secondary education, so he aims to raise “an awareness that they are able to go to college.” Similarly, La Unidad Latina was originally founded to recruit minorities into college.

During the panel discussion, several panelists addressed the financial issues that often preclude students from attending college. They explained the financial aid and scholarship application processes and emphasized the possibilities of paying for college through various sources of aid. Maritza Guzman, sophomore in DGS, reassured the students about the wealth of scholarships by citing the nontraditional requirements of some, such as being left-handed.

Daneli Rabanalez, junior at Arcola High School, said one of her concerns about college is the financial demand that would be placed on her family. However, her main concern is the separation from home.

Rigoberto Campos, sophomore in LAS, assured Rabanalez and the other students by telling his story of moving to campus with only one previous friend. He alleviated their worries about living with roommates and cleared their misconceptions caused by roommate horror stories.

“You just have to have a common respect,” Campos said.

Earlier in the day, students visited one lecture in subjects such as economics, animal sciences, biology, business or math. Jonathan Mendoza, junior at Arcola High School, was initially “scared” of the amount of notes taken by students — something he has not yet encountered — but he said he adjusted and followed advice given to him by University students.